The Beginning After The End (Early Years Book 1) (8 page)

Over
this period of time, it would be an understatement to say I’ve gotten close to
Sylvia.  She treated me like her blood grandson and I’ve grown attached to
this demon lord grandmother.  It was because of our growing relationship
that I couldn’t ignore what was happening.

The
wound was getting worse as the portal that was supposed to bring me home, was
becoming clearer.

“Elder
Sylvia.  What’s happening to your wound? Why is it getting worse? It
wasn’t like this before! I thought you said it was just festered every now and
then!  That it was going to go away! Why is it getting worse?” I said one
especially bad night when she was coughing blood.

I
paused for a second…

I’m
so stupid.

Why
didn’t I notice this earlier?

She
was getting worse while making the portal.  She’s dying in order to send
me home.  She’s sacrificing her life so I can meet my family.

Sylvia’s
eyes dimmed, knowing that I had realized what was going on.  Managing a
sheepish smile, Sylvia whispered, “
Art.  Yes I am dying.  But I
will get angry if you blame yourself, thinking that you are causing this.
 I have been dying for quite a while now.  You are doing me a favor
by allowing me to leave this forsaken cave a little faster.
”

As
soon as she finished talking, a bright golden glow radiated out of her body.
 Shielding my eyes from going blind, I try to focus on the shape appearing
from where Sylvia once sat.  In place of the 10 meter titan-like figure
was a dragon even bigger.  From her snout to the end of her tail, she was
a clad in pure white shimmering scales.  Around her purple eyes were glowing
golden markings that went down her neck and spread out around her body and tail
like a tattoo.  These markings reminded me of a very elegant, almost
celestial, tribal pattern, fanning out in different directions like vines and
leaves.  The dragon’s wings were pure white adorned with white bladed
feathers that put swords made by master smiths to shame.

The
golden light dimmed until the dragon fully replaced the once titan-shaped
being.

“
There
now… Do I look a little more like a Sylvia?
”

“Elder
Sylvia?? Y
..you’re
a dragon?” I said.

“
Now
That I am in this form, we do not have much time.  Yes I am a dragon, a
very powerful one at that.  The reason I am dying is because of a battle I
fought with many enemies.  They will come for me soon, which is why I will
only explain what is necessary.  I am giving you this to take care of from
now on.
”

One
of her bladed wings unfolds and what’s revealed is a translucent rainbow
colored stone the size of two fists.  With a myriad of colors and shades,
this stone resonated an aura that made me hesitate in holding it, as if I’m not
worthy.

Continuing
on, she explains “
Everything will reveal itself when the time comes so just
hold unto this and do not let anyone know that you have this.  Most will
not know what it is but everyone will be attracted by the aura it emits.
”

Sylvia
then plucks a bladed feather off her wings and hands it to me.  “
Wrap
the stone in this to conceal it.
”

After
doing so, the once divine radiant stone turned into a smooth white rock,
pretty, but ordinary.

While
I was studying the stone wrapped in the feather, I suddenly feel Sylvia’s snout
gently touching the middle of my chest, exactly where my mana core was.

Surprised,
I look up to see Sylvia’s purple eyes and the gold markings glow brighter than
they did when she first transformed and then
fade
away.  With a flick of her tongue, she pierces through and into my mana
core and breathes out a golden smoke that crackled in purple.

“AHH!”

Confusion
and surprise fills my mind and I just stare at her from the ground with my eyes
and mouth wide open, chest slightly bleeding.

I
couldn’t form any words in my mouth and my mind was a jumble of questions and
thoughts.

Sylvia’s
expression seemed pained and weak, even for a mighty dragon that was even bigger
than her previous illusion.  What caught my attention though was that her
eyes were now just a dim yellow color and the beautiful markings that once
flowed across her face and body were now gone.

Before
I could ask what happened, a giant crash interrupted me.

I
look up to see that the ceiling of the cave was gone and what came into vision
was a figure that made me think of Sylvia’s previous form.

Clad
in sleek black armor and a blood red cape that matched its eyes.  The
figure’s pale grey skin matched the clouded sky in the background.  The
horns were different though.  This entity had two horns that curled and
under around its ears, lining its chin.

“SYLVIA!
I advise you to hand over the gem and make it easy for us before you die!
 You’ve already caused us quite the trouble after hiding yourself!” The
entity roared.

Not
even looking at the figure in the sky, Sylvia’s wings covered me from the
entity’s view.

“
I’ll
open the portal now.  I didn’t have the time to make it go directly to
your home but it should take you to a place with humans around. Do not let him
see you and do not look back.
” She whispered, her eyes solemn.

“Sylvia!
What about you? A-aren’t you come with me? *Sniffle*
What
’s
going to happen to you??”

I
can’t control myself anymore and I’m crying, tears freely flowing down my face
as I fight the sniffling.

“
Unfortunately
I cannot go with you.  Even if I can, he will be able to find me.
 No.  I need to stay here
.”

“Y-you
can’t! No! I won’t let you die here.  Please! Come with me!”

Sylvia
gently wipes my cheeks with a claw and says, her draconic eyes lined with
tears,

“
You
asked me once, why I chose to save you.  The truth was to satisfy my own
greed.  I wanted to keep you as my own child even for just a little bit.
 I intentionally prolonged the transportation spell because I wished to
spend more time with you but it seems I don’t even have the chance to finish
it.  I’m sorry Arthur for my selfishness but I have a favor to ask...
 Can you call me grandmother just this once
?”

“NOO!
I don’t care about all of that! I’ll say it as much as you want if you come
with me! Grandma! Grandma! You can’t! Not like this!”

And
before I had the chance to grab ahold of Sylvia for the last time, she pushes
me into the portal that formed beside her.

I
can barely make out what she says before she disappears from sight.

“
Thank you my child
.”

The trip through the dimensional
rift was a strange sensation.  It felt like I was in the middle of a movie
set in fast forward.  The background around me was moving in an
indistinct blur of colors while I was kneeled down, still sobbing.

I landed on grass, still on my
knees, my head buried in my arms in a bowing manner.

She was gone.

I’ll never see her again.

Those two thoughts triggered
another wave of emotions and I started weeping again.

I recalled the little over 3 months
we spent together.  How caring she was, treating me like her own blood.
 I didn’t care that she prolonged sending me home so that I would stay
with her.  Through the short time I was with Sylvia, she had taught me so
much, given me something that I would never be able to find by myself.

Lost in grief, I roll to my side in
a fetal position, my brows furrowed and eyes shut.

Suddenly, a burning sensation comes
from my mana core and a voice echoes in my head.

“
Ahem! Testing, testing… Ah good! Hello Art~ this is Sylvia
.”

My heart fluttering, I instantly
respond to the voice. “Sylvia! I’m here! Can you hear…
”

“
If you’re listening to this right now, it means I have shown you what I
actually am…”

Ah.  It’s some kind of
recording that she infused into me when she gouged that small hole into my mana
core.

“…
You’re nowhere near ready right now to know the whole truth.  Knowing you,
if I tell you whom that figure in the sky was, you will just brashly try and
charge through.  Art…You
are
barely passed the
age of 4.  Upon looking at your mana core, you have a rare talent seeing
that your mana core is already dark red in color.  What I will tell you is
this.  I have infused with you my unique will.  This is
something that no one else but I can do.  Your future progress as a Mage
depends on how well you will be able to use my will that is embedded into your
mana core...”

That’s why the purple in her eyes
and golden patterns disappeared!

“The
moment your mana core reaches a level past the white stage is when you will
hear my voice again.  At that time, I will explain everything and what you
do from there is your choice.”

There was a stage past white?

“Lastly,
Art… I know you may be in grief as of now, but remember, you have your family
to look out for and the stone I entrusted you with.  My only wish is for
you to embrace the joys and innocence of childhood, train hard, and make your
parents and I proud.  Do not go chasing after a shadow out of rage.
 Killing the ones that are responsible for my death will neither bring me
back to life nor make you feel better.  There was a reason for everything
and I do not regret what has happened.  With this, I bid you farewell for
now.  Remember, protect your family and the stone, study what I have left
you, and enjoy this life King Grey.”

"…"

That name and title was from my old
world.  She knew the entire time!  Did she discover something in my
mana core?  Was she able to look into my memories?  So many questions
but the only one who can answer them is gone.

I don’t move for a while, staying
in the fetal position, my eyes glazed over, deep in thought.

Sylvia was right.  She said
all of this knowing what my life back in my old world was like.  I won’t
make the same mistake of living for the sake of training.  I will be
strong, but I’ll also live my life without regret.  I want to live a life
that Sylvia would be proud of.  I don’t think she’ll be happy even if I
reach whatever stage was after white while living a life of only training.
 No. I need to hurry up and reach my family.  But before that, where
am I?

Looking around, I’m surrounded by
trees that tower over my head.  There’s a thick fog that covers anything a
couple centimeters off the ground

Trees and an unnaturally thick fog…

I sank back on my knees,
crestfallen at what this could only mean.

I was in the Forest of Elshire

*Sigh*

Picking myself up, I prepared my
mind.  Looks like I won’t be meeting my family anytime soon.  It’s
been around 3-4 months since I fell off of the cliff. My family has most likely
either gone back to Ashber or decided to stay in Xyrus.

I don’t have anything on me except
the clothes on my back and the strange stone that was wrapped in Sylvia’s feather.
 This damn fog limited my vision to about a couple meters around me.
 Reinforcing my eyes with mana helped quite a bit but that didn’t solve
the problem of which direction I needed to go to get out of this place.  I
reinforced my body, enabling mana rotation that seems to have become second
nature to me now.  Right now, I can only absorb about 20% of what I can do
while just meditating, but I’m not complaining.

The only downside to mana rotation
is that it’s not a replacement for strengthening your mana core.  In order
for me to purify my mana core and get it to the next stages, I need to solely
focus on gathering the mana, from both my body and the surrounding area, and
use that to get rid of the impurities little by little.  One notable thing
I felt rather was that after getting my mana core to dark red, the amount of
mana I could store inside increased significantly.  While the size doesn’t
increase, I’m guessing the purity allows more mana to be gathered.

I climb a couple meters up the
first tree I find and I sat situated on a branch.  This time, I
concentrated the mana into only my eyes, increasing my vision even further.
 What I’m looking for isn’t a way out but more so for any signs of humans.
 Sylvia said that I would be teleported near humans so I’m hoping that
there may be adventurers travelling through here that knows a way out.

A couple seconds of searching, I
find what I’m looking for.  Looks like I was right; there are humans here.

I hop from tree branch to tree
branch, going towards them.  Stopping a couple meters away, I hid myself
behind the trunk on a branch facing away from them.

Something’s wrong.

I hide myself completely behind the
branch and will mana into my ears.

“NOOO!!! HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!
MOMMY! DADDY! NOOO I’M SCARED!!!”

“Someone shut her up!  She’s
going to attract attention!”

*THUD*

“Quick. Put her in the back of the
carriage.  We’re only a couple days away from the mountain range.
 We’ll be safer then.  Don’t relax and let's keep moving.”

“Hey boss! How much do ya think
she’ll sell for?  Elf girls go for a lot don’t they?  Hehe, she’s a
child too so a virgin at that! I bet she’ll fetch us a lot of money huh!”

Slave traders!

I carefully look around to see a
small sized carriage, enough to tightly cram in about 5 adults.  I turn
around just in time to see a middle aged man carrying a little girl into the
back of the carriage.  She looked to be around 6-7 with silver blond hair
with the trademark pointed ears that elves are known for.

What should I do?  How do they
do know where to go in the first place?  The Elshire Forest’s magical fog
messes with the senses even while using mana.

What I see next answers my second
question.

Attached to leashes are mana beasts
that look like a mix between a deer and a dog, with antlers that look branch
out, looking like a complicated satellite.  I remember reading about those
mana beasts in the encyclopedia I carried around.  Apparently, these
forest hounds are native to the Forest of Elshire and can navigate even better
than the elves can.

How those brutes acquired those
rare mana beasts, I have no idea but I needed to think of a plan.

Option one:  Steal one of the
forest hounds and have it lead me out of the forest.

Option two:  Kidnap the
kidnapped elf girl to have her help me out.

Option three:  Kill all of the
slave traders and set the elf girl free while I take the forest hounds and go
back home.

Pondering for a couple of minutes,
I’m faced with a dilemma.  Option one sees to be the easiest, but it
didn’t sit right with me to leave the elf girl to her doom.

Who knows, maybe she’ll get bought
by a kind old man who will treat her well and let her visit her home every
couple of months!

…Fat chance…

Option two had the obvious flaw
that, once I save the elf kid, she won’t lead me out of the forest and will
just want to go back home and the slave traders probably won’t take it too
kindly.  Option three had the best outcome but was the hardest,
considering that there were 4 of them and only one of me.  Because of the
fog, I couldn’t sense if any of them were mages but I assume at least one is.
 Being able to capture an elf in the forest meant that they weren’t
amateurs.

Fuck! Option three it is.

___________________________________________

I waited until nightfall to make my
move.  Those slave traders sure were vigilant.  They didn’t build a
fire and always had two people on guard.

I use the chance when one of the
two out on guard went around to the other side of the carriage to quiet the
forest hounds that I woke up with a carefully thrown rock.

One was sitting on a fallen log,
fiddling something in his hands while the two that were sleeping were inside
the tent pitched next to him.   Carefully jumping to a branch directly
above the carriage, I prepared my attack.

I was going for the one that went
to quiet the forest hounds first.

I dropped down with a quiet thud
behind one of the slave traders.  This man had a very lanky build.
 While muscles were visible, he didn’t seem too strong and was only armed
with a knife.

Hearing the soft thud, lanky turns
around probably only expecting a curious weasel or rat.  His face turned
into a mixture of surprise and amusement when he sees me, a 4-year-old child in
torn clothes.

Before he has the chance to say
anything, I lunge upward towards his neck.  I infuse mana into the blade
of my hand, turning it into a sharp edge.  This was called the swordless
style in my old world but here it would be more accurate to call it a wind
attribute technique.

He flinches back reflexively, his
hands trying to reach where his face is, to guard against the boy shooting
towards him.

It’s too late.  I take a quick
swipe at the jugular, taking his vocal chord out along with the major vein.
 His neck immediately spurts blood out profusely and I land behind him,
supporting his lifeless body and gently placing him down to avoid making noise.
 Just as expected, the forest hounds that were calmed down by the Mr.
Lanky jolted awake at the smell of blood and started barking up a storm.

“Ey Pinky! Can’t even calm the
hounds…What the
?!
”

I had already picked up…Pinky’s?
knife
after disposing his body and was waiting for him at
the corner of the carriage.

While the other guard’s attention
was directed at the corpse of Pinky that was being eaten by the forest hounds,
I came out from behind and stabbed the side of his neck with the knife.

The hounds quieted down while
devouring the two corpses.  I was heading towards the tent to kill the two
left in their sleep but then something I didn’t calculate ruined my plans.

“HELLLLP! MOMMY! SOMEONE! ANYONE!
PLEASEE!!”

Jesus Christ child! Why now of all
times!

On cue, I hear the rustle of the
tent as the two slave traders that were left came out.  Half grumbling, I
hear a “Pinky! Deuce! The kid is awake! What the hell are you guys…
”

Really? Pinky? Deuce?  You
guys have comrades with the names pinky and poop?

He didn’t finish his sentence as he
realized something was wrong.

I quickly hide behind the tree next
to the carriage and infuse mana into Pinky’s knife.

The two remaining slave traders
came around to the other side of the carriage where their eyes bulged upon
witnessing their two former companions being eaten by the forest hounds.

Using this chance, I attack the
nearest one when his gaze shoots towards me and
I’m met by
his blade swung directly at my face
.

Quickly ducking, I drop low and
accelerate myself faster, getting in the range of my knife.  I swing,
reinforcing more mana into the knife and slice through his right Achilles’
heel.

“FUCK!!”